Hi people,

i'm new in this forum, so i hope i post my questions in the right place and get informative answers.

Well, i am a comic collector since around 2 years now, which means i am only collecting modern comics, especially DC Comics. I collect mainly TPBs, hardcovers & softcovers likewise with a few deluxe HCs. Recently i started to collect single issues as well but my focus remains on TPBs.

Unlike most of the people i know from different forums, it seems like i'm one of the few that put their TPBs into bags. Until now i have been using bags made out of polyethylene. Unfortunately in my country it is hard to near impossible to find mylar bags plus i can not afford the shipping costs to actually order them from the USA, which is why i have to simply stick to the polyethylene or polypropylene bags.

Now i was trying to find out some informations whether it is more desirable to use polyethylene or polypropylene. Despite the low options i have, i want to have my comics in the best bags i can get. On some pages i could read that polypropylene would be the better material. On some others it is stated that polyethylene would be more desirable (including a topic in this forum). So my question is: what is the real deal now? How comes that everybody says something different?

Plus if i choose to switch to polypropylene bags, which of the following bags would be better in your opinion? MAX Protection, UltraPro or Comic Defense? I can only choose between these three, the comic shops from which i order my stuff does not have others. The same question about backing boards and boxes: Is Comic Defense a good option?

I know that mylar bags and 100% acid-free backing boards and boxes would be the best thing to get but like i said, i can not get them here plus i can not afford shipping costs. So unfortunately these are no options for me. I also know that i might have to re-bag & board my comics every 2-4 years then but that should be ok, i guess. Maybe in 3-4 years, i will have more options to choose and be able to get mylar etc. Also: Would it be better to not use backing boards if i can not get the ones from E.Gerber for example? Because i have read this too and don't know if it's true.

I would be happy for every professional information.

Greetings, Argand

Not sure if thats how it goes here but...

Bump

(if it's not the way it's done here on this forum, please tell me ;) )

I actually have no idea what my bags are made of. They are Ultra-Pro, as far as I know the only bag my shop carries. I've never bagged a TPB.

Good luck on finding a real expert.

@jloneblackheart said:

I actually have no idea what my bags are made of. They are Ultra-Pro, as far as I know the only bag my shop carries. I've never bagged a TPB.

Good luck on finding a real expert.

Thank you very much :) I hope i will find one ^^ didnt have much luck yet though

about your ultra-pro bags: as much as i know there are mainly polypropylene bags but maybe polyethylene exists by ultra-pro too. not 100% sure. at least i've only seen polypropylene bags by ultra-pro till now.

Bump

@Argand: If you can, it's best to use backerboards that are acid free, preferably, on both sides as there are a lot out there that are only acid-free on one side. However, if you're really strapped for cash or what have you, you can lie the comics flat in an acid free comic box until you can get said boards. In cases like these I alternate placing the comics back to front in an alternating pattern as to make the stack as even as possible. Unfortunately, this is probably not a good thing to do, I'd wager. As I only use Mylar bags now, I can't offer any personal insight into which brand of bags